Industrial Tank Foam Filling Services

Safely Decommission Your Fuel Tanks – Temporarily or Permanently

As leading experts in fuel tank decommissioning and removal, we offer foam filling services to ensure your tank can be rendered safe. If it’s not feasible to clean and physically remove an oil tank or if you want to use it later, our engineers can fill it using RG22 foam. This ensures that your old, unused oil tank is made safe and inert, without any remaining traces of flammable gases or explosive vapour.

What is foam filling?

Foam filling is a decommissioning technique where a specialised expanding hard form (commonly RG22) is injected into a tank through a small access point. The foam expands to fill the interior, absorbs any remaining hydrocarbons and then hardens to create a safe, sealed chamber and providing reinforcement to the tank’s structure.

Learn more about our foam filling services by calling our expert team on 0330 123 3399

Why choose foam filling to decommission your tank?

A storage tank that’s no longer in use or has come to the end of its working life poses a risk to the environment and public safety. Even following proper cleaning and/or decommissioning of a tank, gases can still accumulate over time. That’s why redundant tanks must be removed or filled.

With foam filling, tanks can safely be decommissioned without disrupting your operations. That’s because, unlike concrete, there’s no need to degas a fuel tank before injecting the resin. The tank must simply be emptied beforehand as the foam will absorb any remaining hydrocarbons left in the tank, making the tank inactive and safe.

Another benefit of RG22 hard foam is that it provides additional flexibility. If you need to reuse your oil tank later down the line, the foam can be removed, and the tank cleaned and put back into use. With many other tank fill products, you must break the tank up. With RG22 hard foam, it can be easily removed. Although it’s light, its strength is great enough to withstand external factors even if the tank can’t, for example, if it’s rusted/deteriorated.

Our foam filling process

1. Site survey and assessment
   • Inspect the tank (type, condition, access), check your fuel history and configuration
   • Decide whether foam filling is appropriate or another method might be better
2. Fuel uplift and tank prep
   • Remove residual liquid / fuel using our fuel uplift service
   • Clean the tank to remove sludge and debris, ensuring it’s safe for filling
3. Foam injection
   • Inject RG22 foam via a small hatch or entry point – the foam expands to fill interior
   • The foam absorbs any remaining hydrocarbons, hardens and stabilises the internal structure
4. Hardening and sealing
   • Allow foam to cure and ensure full fill to eliminate voids that could trap gases
   • Carry out any required external finishes or sealing of access points
5. Certification and documentation
   • Provided documentation (foam-filled certificate, gas-free / inert status, any hazardous waste notes)
   • Ensure you have records for insurance, regulatory compliance, future audits
6. Future reuse if desired)
   • If you plan to bring the tank back into service, having proper records and doing full cleaning / removal of foam is required

Why choose Crown Oil Environmental for foam filling?

• Over 75 years of fuel and environmental services experience
• Full in-house service: survey, uplift, cleaning, foam filling, documentation
• Minimal disruption: methods designed to avoid large downtime or site closure
• Flexible solutions: whether you want permanent or reversible decommissioning
• Responsible waste management and environmental compliance

Foam Filling FAQs

Ready to learn more about our foam filling services? Call our expert team today on 0330 123 3399 to find out how we can help safely decommission your fuel storage tanks